The Right Path
by Air-and-water123
Summary: Some stories, written by my fellow "Kataang Writers", have Katara cheat on Aang and leave him for Zuko and then later have them get back together in some cases. In doing so, they disrespect Katara and Zuko's characters, making them appear as monsters. This one-shot shows what would truly happen if Zuko went after Katara, and what the consequences would then bring. Kataang


**Hey guys! Sorry for writing this story, but after seeing a few stories that involved Katara cheating on Aang with Zuko and then leaving him, I just had to write this. Especially since these stories were from supposed "Kataang Writers" as they called themselves, though if you ask me, no true self-respecting Kataang writer would ever write such a story. Anyway, after being very angry at my fellow "Kataangers" destroying Katara's character (And Zuko's but I don't truly care about Zuko), even if they had Aang and Katara get together later, they seem to be forgetting the true essence of who Katara is: Loyal, not shallow, and most importantly of a pure heart. She would never be able to go through with cheating on Aang and then leaving him since their love was true, which not everyone seems to get. They seem to think that if Aang hadn't seen her for an extended period of time, that she would become weak and find love in someone else, but this story will show what would **_**really **_**happen in such a situation. I know Zuko wouldn't betray Aang either, but for the sake of showing how Katara would truly react in such a situation, Zuko will go after Katara. Anyway, sorry for the long speech, but I'm just a little angry because those kinds of stories are ones I would expect from Zutarians, not from Kataangers but I'll be sure to show just how Katara's true nature would allow her to handle it the right way. Now, this story is based off the assumption that Aang and Katara would be separated for long periods of time, which I'm sure never happened in their life together as Katara loved to travel with him. Thanks for reading this long preview and I hope you guys enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

* * *

Aang and Katara laughed as they walked through the Fire Nation halls together. They had spent a wonderful day with each other, wanting to spend as much time together as they could before Aang would have to go to the Earth Kingdom. Alone. Normally she would accompany Aang on his visits, but Katara had her own things to do in the Fire Nation. As the Avatar's girlfriend, she took it upon herself to see the world through Aang's eyes and had grown to care for each of the Nation's, and that included the Fire Nation.

While Aang would be away for a month, Katara would be talking with not only the Firelord, but some of his governors as well. Even if Zuko had power, he seemed to have difficulty with loyalty from his governors. Likely due to the fact that they were once loyal to his father, but he knew with time and effort he would win them over. He would just have to wait it out. The first item on her agenda was to talk Zuko into letting his people have more celebrations. Being ever the "Sourpuss" as Toph had often called him, once the war was over, parties had gone significantly down considering he and Mai were never ones for loud parties. Of course he couldn't get rid of them all, but he had stopped a significant amount of parties that Katara felt his people deserved to have. After all, Zuko wasn't the only victim of Ozai's cruel tyranny. It had only been a few years since then, but it was obvious that people were still recovering from having been led and deceived by the man who was once their firelord. And if there was one thing Katara knew, it was that parties and dancing generally helped people forget about their troubles, especially the ones who went through a repressed school that wouldn't allow them to dance at all. After all, she and Aang had a great party, one that she would never forget.

"I'm really going to miss you, Aang," Katara smiled sadly as they reached a pavilion in the middle of the courtyard. Aang turned to her and smiled sadly as well, not wanting to think about being away from her. Being without her for a day would be torture, let alone a month, but he understood that there were things she had to do. As long as he could look forward to seeing her when he came back, then he would wait for her. He would wait an eternity if it meant that he could hold her in his arms again.

"I know," he agreed with a sad twinkle in his eyes, wrapping his left hand in hers while she interlaced their fingers. "But it'll only be for a month. I'll come back as soon as I'm done," he promised before wrapping her in a hug which she returned eagerly, loving the feeling of being in his arms. It amazed her how safe and happy she felt being in his arms, like she would never truly be hurt as long as she was in his embrace. Although she would miss him, she knew that she would be very happy to see him again, and she couldn't wait until he came back to her. Like he always did.

Appa groaned loudly as he landed, reminding them that it was time for him to go. Aang smiled sadly at her and leaned in for a goodbye kiss which Katara more than readily accepted. It would be a while before either of them would be able to taste each other again, so they made sure to kiss each other like it was their last. After all, they didn't know what would happen. One of the bad things about dating the Avatar, Katara knew, was worrying about him getting attacked and not coming back to her, but she knew Aang was more than capable of protecting himself. After all, he took down Ozai on the day he was at his strongest. If he could survive the most insane firebender Katara had ever seen, she knew he would come back to her. Finally breaking away from the kiss, they leaned their foreheads to each other and took a deep breath of each other's scent before sharing one more kiss. Once they were satisfied, Aang reluctantly pulled away and jumped up on Appa before drinking in the sight of his beloved one more time. "I love you!" he called to her.

Small tears trickled down her face as she wiped them hastily away, not wanting him to see her sadness anymore than she could help it. "I love you, too!" she yelled back, her voice choking slightly with emotion. She felt a little silly. It felt like she was playing into the portrayal of her in the Ember Island play, but she couldn't help it. She was really going to miss Aang.

Aang gave her one last sad smile before taking Appa's reigns in his hands. "Appa, yip yip!" Appa groaned and took off into the sky, leaving Katara to watch as he flew away from her, unknowingly taking her heart with him. Katara let out a long, shuddering breath as more tears spilled down her face, but she wiped them away and decided to busy herself in her work. The best way for time to go by would be to get lost in her work, that way she wouldn't have time to think about how much she missed him. _It's only a month,_ she reminded herself. _He'll be back soon._ With that happy thought in mind, she wiped the remaining tears away before returning to their shared villa with Aang. What she hadn't known was that Zuko had come to say goodbye to Aang, but had decided against it when he saw their teary reunion. _Aang sure is a lucky guy,_ Zuko thought, catching himself by surprise at his thoughts. Shaking his head from them, he returned back to his palace and returned to his work.

* * *

Two weeks later, Katara had made progress with the Fire Nation royals. Zuko was starting to accept the idea of having more parties, even if Katara had to remind him what his people had gone through during the war. Even with busying herself, though, she still missed Aang terribly. Being without him left a hole in her that left her feeling utterly alone. Before she had met Aang, she had felt lonely before, but this was a new kind of loneliness. This was the loneliness that could only come from being separated from the man she loved. Not that Katara wasn't independent, because she was, but ever since Aang had come into her life, he had poured life back into what had once felt pointless and dull. When he brought fun and adventure into her life, she had been forever changed, in more ways than one. If she ever lost Aang… she didn't know what she would do with herself. She laughed a little as she was reminded of her actor who had played her. Maybe they were a little right, but she only got this emotional over Aang. Nothing other than her mother's death had ever made her feel so alone, but she knew Aang would come back to her. He would come back to her… right? Her heart beat quicker as fear coursed through her veins. What if Aang met someone while he was out there? What if he decided he wanted to be with another girl instead of her? She shook her head at herself. Aang wouldn't do that. He loved her. Far more than she deserved.

She was reminded of that night. That stupid play that had almost torn everything to pieces. Aang had put himself out to her, wanting to give her his heart, but out of a fear that she had mistaken as confusion, had shut him down, breaking his heart in the process. Katara shook her head at herself as she laid her head onto her pillow. How could she have so easily broken his heart like that? She hadn't meant to, but that day on the submarines, Aang had been talking about not coming back. Before then, it had never occurred to her that Aang might not come back from his mission. She had complete faith in him, thinking that with him being the Avatar, he was practically immortal. But the kiss he had given her reminded her that he was indeed mortal, and that scared her. Images of his rise and fall in Ba Sing Se had flooded her mind, and her mind had gone into self preservation mode without her even realizing it.

That night in Ba Sing Se had been the night that she realized that she loved him, but she hadn't known how he felt about her. Katara laughed a little at herself. Looking back, she supposed she should have known. All the signs were there. Especially with him making her a "betrothal necklace". She smiled at that memory, but it dropped as she remembered what she had said. _Stop teasing him, Sokka. Aang's just a good friend. A sweet little guy, just like Momo._ If only her younger self had known. Maybe they wouldn't have wasted so much time just being friends. Letting out a sigh, her previous worries returned to her. She knew Aang loved her, but what if he found someone else he loved more? She couldn't bear the thought of being without him. And worse still, what if she was alone for the rest of her life because of it? Having to miss him and think about him being with someone else until death claimed her? She shuddered as she thought about it. That would be a fate worse than death. Katara was in too deep to try to start over. Another thought popped into her mind. What if Aang had to go on a lot of journeys on his own? She would be lonely quite a lot. Could she live a life like that?

The fear and doubt crept into her mind, but she shook it off and decided to lose herself in her work again. Now wasn't the time for this, and she knew that if she kept thinking about it, that she would lose all of her sanity. Shaking her head at herself with a sigh, she got up and sat down at her work desk, ready to get back to work.

* * *

Something had been happening to Zuko ever since Aang had left. Katara had come by his palace quite often, sometimes to discuss politics, other times just to hang out. With Aang gone, she felt more alone than ever, a point that she had made clear. Zuko felt bad for her, but… he also felt a little excited. He had always known Katara was beautiful, but in the last couple years, in the short visits that they had at his palace, Zuko had gotten some feelings for Katara. He still loved Mai, but something about Katara made him okay with the thought of not being with her. Katara had told him that she would be home all day writing letters to his governors, so he knew exactly where she would be. He felt guilty about doing this, knowing what it would do to his best friend if Katara decided she wanted to be with him, but he had to try. Taking a deep breath, he slowly knocked on her door, waiting anxiously in silence as he heard footsteps come towards the door. Quickly checking his breath, he put on a smile as she opened the door.

"Zuko?" she asked in bewilderment, completely surprised to see him there. "What are you doing here? I thought you and Mai were going on a date?"

Zuko cleared his throat. "Um… may I come in?"

Her face scrunched up in confusion, but she shrugged and gestured for him to step inside which he did. Walking in, they sat down on both sides of the couch in her and Aang's living room. "So," she started awkwardly, wondering what was going on. "What can I help you with?"

"Well, it's more of what _I_ can help _you_ with," he told her, taking her by even more surprise before he continued. "I know that you've been lonely with Aang gone."

She nodded slowly, unsure where he was going with this. "Yeah, I have been," she conceded. "But what does that have to do with you being here?"

He smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Well… I just wanted to make sure everything is okay. Do you want to talk about it?"

Katara looked at him as if he had just told her that Sokka was a girl. "Um… okay?" Something strange was going on, but she knew that it would probably help to get her fears off her chest, so she decided to let it all out.

"I guess… I'm worried," she admitted with a sigh as she stared down at her feet.

"What are you worried about?" Zuko asked gently as he tried scooting closer to her, but she scooted away more, making him frown.

She was silent for another moment before she finally looked up at him. "I'm worried that Aang might find someone else while he's out there," she sighed with the saddest look he had ever seen in her eyes."Ever since he's been gone, I've felt so… lost. Like I can't function without him." She laughed a little bitterly. "I probably can't. I don't know what I would do without him."

Her words stung Zuko a little, but he decided to soldier through. "Well if he left you for someone else, he would be the dumbest guy in the world. He wouldn't deserve you."

Silence filled the void between them before she smiled at him. "Thanks, Zuko. I appreciate it." He smiled a little, feeling as if he had made some progress before her smile dropped again. "But I don't want to live without him. I love him so much." Tears spilled down her face a little before she hastily wiped them away. "I don't know what I'd do without him, but I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life either."

This was it! This was his chance! Taking a deep breath, he slowly cupped her cheek and turned her to look at him. "I would never leave you alone, Katara. Maybe I… can be the one who you spend the rest of your life with," he whispered before he started leaning into her. Katara's eyes widened in shock as she saw him getting closer and closer, so surprised that she couldn't think.

And then she could.

Right before his lips touched hers, she pulled away and smacked him with all of her energy, making him gasp as the slap sent him face first onto the floor. "What do you think you're doing?" she menaced as she stood up and gathered some water into her hands.

Zuko blinked in surprise. He certainly hadn't been expecting her to do that. If nothing else, he would have expected her to pull away, but not slap him so hard he felt as if he had just lost an Agni Kai. Groaning slightly, he stood up and looked her in the eye while rubbing the offended cheek. "Come on, Katara. You know Aang is going to be too busy to spend time with you. He has to go around the world at a moment's notice. But I'm always here. I would be able to make sure that you're not lonely, and I would _never_ leave you for someone else."

Katara's eyes squinted dangerously at him, making him worry as he feared she would do more than slap him. "Like I'm sure you told Mai you would never leave _her_, right?" Zuko again blinked in surprise, realizing that she was right. "How do you think she would feel if she found out about this?"

He didn't respond, just warily watched as her anger quickly built. There had never been such anger in her eyes before, and he just hoped that she would spare his life.

It was then in that moment that Katara realized how silly she had been. Aang would never leave her. He _adored_ her. The man who she had broken his heart out of fear once before loved her. The same man who was willing to give up the Avatar State, his strongest weapon, just to make sure that she was okay. The very same man who then was willing to give up his love for her if it meant that she would survive in the crystal catacombs. Aang loved her so much, he would _die _for her. And she would die for him, too.

"Aang loves me! He would do anything for me! I was foolish to think that he would ever leave me for someone else!"

Zuko shook his head. "Okay, but you're still going to be lonely a lot. Why be with someone that's going to make you feel so alone when you can be with someone who has the time to be with you?"

Katara snarled at him. "If nothing else, because then I wouldn't be with someone who would so easily leave me," she shot back, making a wave of guilt crash over him as he was once again reminded of Mai. "And even if I might miss him like crazy and feel lonely, I have friends, Zuko! I'll hang out with them, or I'll make new ones! I'm not going to leave Aang just because I get lonely without him! I love him so much, I would rather die than betray him like that. Besides, _I'm_ the one who decided to stay behind this time. Any other time he needs to go alone, I'm sure I'll talk him into letting me go with him. And if not, then I'll wait. Because he's worth me having to miss him and be lonely if it means that he'll come back to me." Letting out a sharp breath, she shook her head and froze him to the wall behind him, ensuring that it was frozen enough that he wouldn't be able to melt it as she walked up to him and looked him in the eye. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a little chat I need to have with Mai. It seems she's going to need a new boyfriend." With one last hateful glare at him, she walked away, leaving him feeling like his world was crashing down.

* * *

A few weeks later, Katara was anxiously awaiting the return of her love. After the little showdown she had with Zuko, she had talked to Mai and revealed to her the news of Zuko being unfaithful. Mai had been surprised and hurt, but she hadn't gotten angry as Katara had expected her to. She had just taken her stuff from the palace and decided to go back to live with her parents, finding that she preferred her mother's incessant company to that of a man who attempted to leave her for someone else. Katara had made sure to stay as far away from Zuko as possible, even going as far as to ride away from him down a lake as he attempted to talk to her. He no longer wanted her for himself, but he did want to apologize. It had been a mistake to try to go after her, he now realized, and he felt horrible about it. He had also been hoping she hadn't told Aang about it, wanting to at least keep his best friend, but a rather angry letter from Aang had arrived the day before his arrival, ensuring him that their friendship was now over.

Katara would have felt bad for him, and a small part of her did, but he had tried to take her away from the man she loved, thinking that she was in such pain that he could steal her away. He had never been more wrong, she thought with a smirk. Now he was alone. All of his friends knew of his treachery and refused to speak to him. Mai was long gone with her family, even his servants treated him with an air of disrespect as they helped him with his tasks that he gave them. His whole nation saw him for what he had chosen to be: a monster.

A loud groan snapped Katara out of her reverie as a large smile found its way onto her face. _He's here!_ She thought excitedly as she ran out to the courtyard to see Appa landing softly on the ground.

"Katara!" Aang yelled gleefully as he jumped off Appa and ran towards her.

"Aang!" Katara shouted back with just as much joy and mirth as they ran into each other, enveloping each other in a bone-crushing hug. "I missed you so much, Sweetie," she murmured into his shirt as she dug her face into his chest, feeling comforted at his familiar scent.

He smiled and pressed a tender kiss to her head before inhaling her scent, feeling intoxicated from how much he had missed it for the month he had been gone. "I missed you too, Sweetie." Without another word, Katara pulled away from his embrace and smashed her lips to his, reveling in the sweetness she had been longing for since the day he left. After a couple minutes of them kissing hungrily, they pulled away and smiled at each other.

"I love you," they whispered to each other with wide smiles before they kissed again. Unbeknownst to them, Zuko had known that Aang would land there and wanted to talk.

"Um, hi," he greeted them awkwardly as he stepped out of the shadows and waved at them. "Zuko here."

They quickly split apart as Katara glared at him. Aang would have glared too, but he knew he had to forgive him. His people had taught him to forgive and forget, but that didn't mean that he wanted to be Zuko's friend again. "What are you doing here, Zuko?" Aang asked warily, taking Katara's hand in his and squeezing it, urging her to calm down. Sighing a little, her anger left her, though not fully.

"Look," he started even more awkwardly than he had thought possible. "I just wanted to say that… I'm sorry for trying to take Katara from you. I never should have done that."

"Yeah, you're right," Aang agreed with a somewhat bitter laugh. "You shouldn't have. What kind of best friend do you think you were being? Do you know what that would have done to me if Katara had decided to be with you?" Zuko was about to speak up, but Aang cut him off. "I would have been devastated. Heartbroken. Alone and afraid." He took a deep, calming breath before he trusted himself to speak again. "Luckily for me, the most amazing girl in the world loves me and is willing to wait for me."

"I never said she wasn't," Zuko pointed out.

Aang laughed more bitterly this time. "Really? Because from what Katara told me, your selling point was that I would never have time to be with her because of my Avatar duties." Zuko looked down in shame at himself, feeling a wave of regret wash over him. Aang shook his head at him before he turned to Katara. "Katara, I promise that I'll be here for you whenever you need me. I might be the Avatar and I might have to protect the world, but _you_ are _my_ world. Don't ever think that I would leave you feeling lonely. Had I known that you felt so alone, I would have waited to go to the Earth Kingdom." He took her face in his hands. "I wouldn't be alive without you, both physically and mentally. No matter what, Katara, I'll always be here for you." Tears started streaming down Katara's face as he smiled and gently wiped them away. "Whenever you need me," he whispered, his voice full of emotion that made Katara's knees weak as she stared into his eyes.

Zuko became sad as he watched them. This was what he could have had with Mai if he hadn't decided that Katara would be better, but he was wrong. Katara and him would never have worked out. Of that, he was sure. They were just too different, and what they had in common did not work well together. Now Mai hated him, and he knew that she had every right to. His friends didn't want anything to do with him, and now he was left to rule his nation alone.

"Come on," Aang took her hand and led her to Appa. "We're getting out of here." Katara smiled happily and laughed as he picked her up bridal style and jumped onto Appa, setting her into his lap as he took the reigns. He looked over at Zuko one last time, seeing his old friend as a shell of what he used to be. "Goodbye, Zuko. We will only ever contact you with political issues from now on." Aang sighed a little. "Remember back when you saved me from Zhao when I asked if we could have been friends?"

Zuko was silent for a moment before he nodded slowly, his eyes downcast in shame.

"I wish we could have been," Aang told him truthfully, feeling a pang of sadness overcome him before he took a deep breath. "Appa, yip yip!" Appa groaned and launched into the air, leaving Zuko as his world finally came crashing down. His friends, his family, his love… they were all gone. All because he tried to win the heart of a girl he was clearly not supposed to be with. And he would pay for that mistake every day of his life.

* * *

**Alright guys! Just wanted to apologize for the sad ending, but I wanted to show how if Zuko had tried to do this, how his life likely would have turned out. To those of my fellow Kataangers who feel like Katara, if she was lonely enough, would leave Aang for Zuko, let me tell you, you're wrong. Katara and Aang's love goes way beyond the separation of the two, and Katara is a strong and independent woman. If they were separated for extended periods of time, Katara would definitely miss him and be lonely, but she would certainly wait for him. Saying anything else is disrespecting her character just as having Zuko go after her is disrespecting his character, especially after he spent almost the entire show chasing after his "honor" which he had finally gotten back. It would be a shame for him to have to lose it because he tried to or, in these Kataang stories i mentioned above cases, succeeded, then his honor would be lost once again. Not to mention the fact that Mai made him happier than any other time that Zuko had shown with Katara. Just the thought of Mai made him very happy, so for those who think that he would go after Katara and forsake Mai, that's wrong as well. I mean no disrespect to those who have thought this, but saying anything else is disrespecting their characters, not to mention the heartbreak it would put on Aang and Mai. Anyway, thank you guys for reading this and I hope you all have a great day!**


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